August 4, 2015: American Bar Honors New York Attorney with Pro Bono Publico Award

The
American Bar Association has awarded New York attorney Daniel L. Brown its Pro
Bono Publico Award for his outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services
for the poor and disadvantaged.

Brown,
of New York City (Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton), received the award
at a luncheon during the ABA’s annual meeting in Chicago on August 1.

Brown,
a New York State Bar Association member, performs extensive pro bono work in
the areas of disability rights and human rights.

“Daniel
Brown has made an enormous impact on the rights of the disabled through his
novel use of legal theories and zealous courtroom battles,” said Sid Wolinsky,
co-founder and director of litigation for Disability Rights Advocates, a
nonprofit legal rights center, in a letter to the ABA.

Brown
represented a class of more than 900,000 individuals with disabilities who
filed a suit in the wake of Hurricane Irene. The case alleged that New York
City failed to adequately plan for people with disabilities in emergencies.
After a landmark trial victory, the case was settled in September, 2014, with
New York City agreeing to the most comprehensive disaster plan for persons with
disabilities ever established in the country, aimed at improving the lives and
safety of New Yorkers with disabilities.

He
also has successfully fought to improve the accessibility of New York City’s
taxi-fleet and is currently litigating the issue of accessible sidewalks in New
York City.

As
a volunteer for Human Rights First, a human rights advocacy organization, he
won asylum for human rights activists in both Sudan and Syria.

“The
individuals who seek assistance from Human Rights First face significant
financial, linguistic and other barriers to legal assistance and include
refugees who have suffered terrible persecution in their home countries,” said
Elisa Massimino, president and CEO of Human Rights First, who wrote in support
of Brown’s nomination. “In his relentless pursuit of their freedom and their
right to live without fear, Dan has been instrumental in fundamentally changing
lives and, in so doing, representing what is best about our country.”

Brown
is a member of the State Bar’s Antitrust Law Section and its Class Action
Committee and the Trial Lawyers Section. He is a partner in his firm’s Business
Trial Practice Group and specializes in high-stakes, complex, commercial
litigation and arbitrations, including consumer class action cases. He chairs
his firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

The New York
State Bar Association, with 74,000 members, is the largest voluntary state bar
association in the country. It was founded in 1876.